Mimosa - Silver Lining

Published: October 2, 2010

BY NATTY MORRISON

Mimosa’s music is full of atmosphere. Every nook and cranny is filled with synth swells, wobbling bass, beautifully subtle vocal samples and melodically focused flurries of electric piano. It’s glitch without getting too grimy; it’s dubstep without losing direction. The low ends are certainly prevalent here, but Mimosa uses them in a new way. The wobble becomes a melody as opposed to a rhythmic tool. Beautiful stuff, to say the least.

The first cut “Higher Consciousness” begins with wailing police sirens that weave in and out of the groove. Soon the sirens get the loop treatment and become part of the melody, as what sounds like footsteps plod through the background. The music stutters – but never sputters – and it creates a feeling that the tune can change at any time. It does, but without ever becoming too spastic or sporadic. When that drop comes, the music likes to explode into gorgeous eruptions of melody and fine-tuned tempo changes.

“Badlands” gets a bit glitchier, a bit grimier. But the warm tones of electric piano and soft synthesizers leaves the listener feeling fully enveloped. And then, at the last second, he drops it to a nasty wobble line. Mimosa knows the rules, he knows the boundaries. He just doesn’t give a damn.

There are elements of this album that recall mid-80s electro-pop, and that is meant in the best possible way. The title track, “Silver Lining,” is a fantastic example of this. Huge air pads lay a smooth-as-marble coating, while 8-bit sounds float across the floor. A synth-horn plays a lonely and romantic melody, and, of course, the wobble gets in on the fun, doubling up with the arrangement’s lead line to create a beauty of a piece.

“Pushing Little Daisies” (not to be confused with the early 90s Ween hit) is the albums most thrilling moment. Sparked by an augmented version of a traditional house beat, the track uses whisper-to-a-scream dynamics to propel itself forward. White noise engulfs the aural palate, and soon a menacing bass line bursts to the forefront. The track stutters, stops, and then detonates, while Mimosa pushes the low end wobble to a high end squeal. This is “Cockney Thug” territory, an instant classic of dubstep and glitch. This is fist-in-the-air, head-bobbing-so-hard-my-neck-might-snap stuff. With its repeated vocal sample plainly stating, “6 million ways to die, choose one,” Mimosa sends chills from your vertebra to your skull. Mimosa knows how to slay you, and on Silver Lining he delivers the golden dagger.